We’ve dedicated our new multimillion-dollar spaces as we prepare to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the College.
One hundred and twenty-four years ago, Palmer College was founded by D.D. Palmer in Davenport, Iowa. This was the world’s first chiropractic college. Since then, the Fountainhead of chiropractic has grown to become the best, most-respected chiropractic college in the world.
Today, Palmer College has more alumni practicing in the profession than any other chiropractic college.
One year from now, those chiropractors will converge on the Quad Cities to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Palmer College. And when they do, alumni will return to a campus that has invested millions of dollars in learning spaces, technology, scholarships, and more.
Palmer College dedicated new multi-million-dollar spaces during Homecoming 2021 festivities on the Davenport campus on Thursday, September 16, 2021. Unlike anything chiropractic students will find elsewhere, the new David D. Palmer Learning Commons and an outdoor terrace are part of the College’s commitment to enhancing the student experience in the classroom and the clinic—and outside of them as well.
“I might be biased, but this is an extraordinarily exciting time to be part of Palmer College,” said Dennis Marchiori, D.C., Ph.D., chancellor and CEO. “Our college is innovating for and investing in our students and their experience. The new David D. Palmer Learning Commons and Charles & Hildegarde Keller Terrace are just two ways we’re driving our college and the chiropractic profession forward.”
The $10.2 million Learning Commons, located at the top of Brady Street hill in Davenport, brings to life once again one of the campus’s original buildings. Preserving the original space’s historic arches and brick walls and blending them with modern elements, the Commons offers students 75 spaces for individual or group study and space to practice hands-on techniques in the Evan & Cynthia Beane Learning Lab under faculty supervision.
It also features a new, state-of-the-art library designed for the chiropractic student of today.
The centerpiece of the space is a glass atrium with a grand staircase inspired by spinal anatomy.
“Our students and faculty have been using the space for a few months now, and we’re getting five-star reviews from everyone on campus,” Marchiori said. “When prospective students come from around the world to tour our campus, they are blown away by what they see. We remind them that there’s more under way in the near future.”
The Learning Commons is named after David D. Palmer, B.S., D.C. Known in the chiropractic profession as The Educator of Chiropractic, David D. Palmer worked tirelessly to designate the school as a nonprofit accredited higher education institution. He was responsible for professionalizing the College and setting the vision for what it has become today.
The Charles & Hildegarde Keller Terrace, an outdoor space accessible from the Learning Commons, will offer students respite from their classes and studies. Outdoors couches and tables will be surrounded by a terrace filled with greenery.
Charles Keller, D.C., (Main, ’55) committed a $1 million gift to his alma mater last year to support students. “It’s an extraordinary gift from an extraordinary person,” said Marchiori. “Throughout his life, Dr. Keller has given to both Palmer and the profession through his time, expertise and treasure. Future generations will know Dr. Keller’s name and the compassion with which he treated each patient—and person—he came across.”
Born in the Bronx of New York City, Dr. Keller was first introduced to chiropractic by a German woman practicing in the city. That chiropractor had a dramatic impact on his mother’s health and wellbeing, which spurred the young New Yorker “to trade the skyscrapers of New York City for the cornfields of Iowa.”
He headed west, where he earned his chiropractic degree and developed a personal philosophy that has always sat at the heart of his relationships with patients and friends. “There’s no such thing as a one-way trip in life,” he said. “You can never just receive. Everything you receive is just passing through you so you can give.
“I hope people will say that Charlie Keller made life a little bit better at the top of Brady Street hill,” Keller added. “I hope they’ll say that he gave the institution something that has great value not just financially, but for humanity. What a pleasure it is to influence someone else’s life in a profession that’s meaningful to me. If I’m helping someone else to get into ‘the game,’ that is extremely gratifying. I hope other graduates will do the same because, wow, we can make a difference together.”
Keller moved through life alongside his wife of 57 years, Hildegarde, who passed away in 2017.
“What we can accomplish is only possible because of the contributions alumni make to the College,” Dr. Marchiori noted. “We continue to see incredible generosity from our alumni and friends, which only affirms our vision for the future.”
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